Never has the intersection of art and film been as pronounced as today. Join Station Gallery Curator, Olexander Wlasenko, in an exploration of visual art and cinema. Wlasenko addresses the influence of moving images on still imagery and vice versa…

“There’s something I haven’t mentioned to anyone, yet…” confessed the Ukrainian President, Petro Poroshenko, to the large crowds gathered on Parliament Hill earlier today, “This is my first visit to Canada!” He was certainly made to feel at home by the warm welcome. Canadians of many ethnic backgrounds including Polish, Belorus, Estonian, Latvian, Lithuanian, Jewish, Hungarian and Crimean Tatars joined with Ukrainian-Canadians in support of a sovereign and independent Ukraine.

Rally for Ukraine

Following his official address in Parliament, Poroshenko gave a brief, but powerful speech outside on the Hill. The mood was celebratory. And for good reason. This was the day after Ukraine’s Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) voted in favour of EU association. Ukraine’s newly elected President spoke optimistically of future Ukraine-Canadian relations. Following his informal, but well-crafted speech, security staff were caught off-guard as Poroshenko quickened down the steps to greet and shake hands with people. We shook hands as he passed. “Cool!” I thought, “that’s probably the closest I’ll get to a billionaire.”

It’s official–the theme of this year’s annual members’ exhibition, as chosen by you–“Slice of Life”

This juried exhibition will run at Station Gallery from November 29, 2014 to January 11, 2015.

It’s a fine theme that’s open-ended and versatile. Artists will be invited to present works that sample everyday life and slice-of-life narratives. Words such as naturalism and realism also come to mind. Thanks to everyone for voting. Stay tuned to Station Gallery’s website for submission guidelines and details for the year-end Slice of Life exhibition….

There it is scribbled in my day planner for today’s date: “Morandi died 50 years ago.”

Giorgio Morandi‘s work had a profound impact on me back in 1995 visiting his studio/apartment in Bologna, Italy. His sustained, concentrated contributions to the still life genre remains inspiring. He’s fondly remembered in my mind and in the collective cinematic consciousness. One of his works appears in Fellini’s 1960 “La dolce vita“–admired by the character of Steiner and Marcello Mastroianni pictured below. Morandi embodied the ultimate in cool sophistication and sprezzatura–in all its infinite tones of grey… today we remember Giorgio Morandi!

Earlier this morning newly elected, Petro Poroshenko was sworn-in as the fifth President of Ukraine. International heads of state joined in the inauguration proceedings, including the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper.

I’m in the process of rediscovering Pier Paolo Pasolini’s 1962 masterpiece, Mamma Roma. By way of learning more about this Italian classic, I’ve started researching the locations used in the film. In one scene the young couple Ettore and Bruna meet in a park. The background for their encounter is carefully and fittingly chosen by Pasolini. Two worlds collide. The pair rendezvous among the remains of ancient Rome–specifically the aqueducts of the Aqua Claudia Aqueduct Park.

In the not-so-distant background is the burgeoning Don Bosco quarter of the city. The cityscape is an anonymous wall of apartment blocks. Bruna states that she lives nearby, presumably in the newly built developments. The only identifying feature rising above the background is the domed Basilica di San Giovanni Bosco. The church was under construction when the movie was filmed. Stay tuned for the drawings inspired by this research….

Identifying art history references in cinema can be an exhilarating pursuit. I’m sourcing material for a lecture exploring art in films and how films influence visual artists. This will be the third part in the Synchronicities: Art & Cinema presentation series.

Over the weekend I watched Lars von Trier’s 2011 apocalyptic psychodrama Melancholia. The movie poster for this film was the hook. Kristen Dunst as Ophelia–specifically John Everett Millais’s version. This mid-nineteenth century painting is recreated by von Trier in the opening dream sequence and later referenced along with other historical works illustrated in art monographs. Most were immediately recognizable (Malevich, Caravaggio, Millais, Bruegel) while others took a few days to put a name to the image (Hill, Blake).

Here’s a clip of the bookshelf episode from the movie along with freeze frames, artists, titles and dates of the works. Enjoy!